Why “The Post” is so important right now

Nominated for two Academy Awards, The Post is a powerful film on the role of the media as gladiators for the truth. In a modern world where news outlets and the government are in a perpetual battle, it is more important than ever for the media to keep the public informed.

Tripwire.com

Tripwire.com

Nominated for two Academy Awards, The Post is a powerful film on the role of the media as gladiators for the truth. In a modern world where news outlets and the government are in a perpetual battle, it is more important than ever for the media to keep the public informed.

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On January 12, The Post, directed by the acclaimed Steven Spielberg and starring acting icons Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, was mass released into theaters across the country, and is now nominated for two Academy Awards. The movie is based on the true events that led The Washington Post to become a powerful force in the journalism world: the publishing of the Pentagon Papers. These documents revealed a government cover-up on the Vietnam War that spanned four presidencies, and whose release during Nixon’s presidency in the 70s caused a media frenzy and public outcry. Streep plays Katherine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post and the first female publisher of a major newspaper, and Hanks appears as Ben Bradlee, the editor of the paper. The movie takes on the conflicts involved in the attempt to publish the Pentagon Papers, including lawsuits in which the U.S. government attempted to stop all papers from publishing any further accounts of the report.

In a modern world where the media and government seem to be in a constant power battle, it can be hard to trust either one. The Post takes on a big mission in its attempt to portray the true purpose of the media, which it does beautifully. Spielberg creates a tension that does not let up the entire movie, which, supported by predictably powerful performances by Streep and Hanks, combines to make a movie successful in its goal to show the media’s unwavering duty to uncover the truth no matter the costs. It shows that finding the truth is easier said than done when one is up against a force like the entire government, and accurately portrays the struggles of being a woman in a man’s world. “It’s important that it’s coming out right now,” said senior Nathan Mooney, “Especially with everything going on right now.” Its parallels to current relations between the media and our government also cannot be ignored, as the government in the 70s attempts to keep the media quiet rings eerily similar to President Trump setting up “Fake News Awards.” In both cases the news continues to persevere in their mission for truth. As quoted in the movie, “The press is to serve the governed, not the governors” is an important concept to be kept at the forefront of everyone’s minds.